RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Pope Francis and the Catholic Church are not enemies of the Brazilian government. The statement was made by Vice President Hamilton Mourão at a press conference held yesterday, October 11th, in Rome, Italy. The representative of the Federal Executive Branch is in the city for the canonization ceremony of Sister Dulce from Bahia, scheduled for Sunday, October 13th.
The city is also hosting the Amazon Synod, organized by the Vatican, with the theme “New paths for the Church and for an integral ecology”. In the event, various representatives, such as indigenous people and civil society organizations, criticized the Brazilian government’s actions regarding environmental protection.
Mourão said there is no tension between the federal government and the Catholic Church on environmental issues. Mourão said he will meet with Pope Francis’ secretaries and will take the measures adopted by Brazil’s Chief Executive, advocating the administration’s actions in the region.
“The message I want to convey is that the Brazilian Amazon is Brazilian. It is our responsibility to preserve and protect it. We do not want to be treated as a chainsaw government, an exterminator of indigenous people, and one that does not respect human rights. It is the government’s responsibility, and no one else’s, to preserve and protect the Amazon,” he said.
The vice-president was asked by journalists about denunciations by indigenous leaders on the government’s position of not demarcating more land for these populations. Mourão replied, reiterating arguments already advanced by the federal government.
“Fourteen percent of Brazil’s land is indigenous, a significant amount. The number of indigenous people is not that large. What is demarcated has to be protected. We have had difficulty due to the fires and illegal mining incidents. We will later assess new demarcations,” he said.
Source: Agência Brasil